Newberry embraces his new role as Hardwick returns

<a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/multimedia/position09_one/position_09.html" target="new"><h3><strong>COUNTDOWN TO CAMP</strong></h3></a><br/>
The Chargers' offensive line struggled from the start last season, in part because center Nick Hardwick needed most of the season to get up to full speed after off-season foot surgery. In his latest positional analysis leading into the start of training camp July 27, <em>San Diego Union-Tribune</em> beat writer Kevin Acee examines the prospects for the offensive line in 2009. Acee's analysis, plus the previous five installments in the series, can be found at <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/multimedia/position09_one/position_09.html" target="new">uniontrib.com/more/position</a> <br/>
<em>John R. McCutchen/Union-Tribune</em>
— John R. McCutchen / John R. McCutchen/Union-Tribune

COUNTDOWN TO CAMP
The Chargers' offensive line struggled from the start last season, in part because center Nick Hardwick needed most of the season to get up to full speed after off-season foot surgery. In his latest positional analysis leading into the start of training camp July 27, San Diego Union-Tribune beat writer Kevin Acee examines the prospects for the offensive line in 2009. Acee's analysis, plus the previous five installments in the series, can be found at uniontrib.com/more/position
John R. McCutchen/Union-Tribune
— John R. McCutchen / John R. McCutchen/Union-Tribune

If Nick Hardwick starts at center for the Chargers as expected in Oakland on Sunday, Jeremy Newberry will experience a first.

“I have never before played in a football game that I haven't started,” Newberry said Thursday.

Never? That's a long time.

“I have missed entire games and full seasons due to injuries,” said Newberry. “But youth ball, high school, college (Cal) and in the pros, I have never played in a game that I didn't start. It's a new role for me.”

Newberry's first nonstart is not an unexpected role for the 12-year pro.

“When I signed with the Chargers, I knew what my role was going to be,” Newberry said. “If they need me to play, I'm ready. But I'm glad to see Nick healthy. He's a great guy and an important part of this team.”

It would have been nice, however, if Newberry could have started against the Raiders, for whom he started 14 games last year.

“I've got a lot of friends on both sides of the ball in Oakland,” said Newberry, who added: “I don't know if I'd go back to an organization like that.”

Newberry said he was talking about turmoil around the Raiders, not the players.

“The organization as far as the football field and the meeting rooms is good,” Newberry said. “As far as the offensive line went, it was a good group of guys. But the other stuff ...

“It's not fun to lose and it's not fun to be in a losing environment. It's refreshing to be down here and to have a clear-cut system where everyone knows who is in charge of this and who is in charge of that.

“In Oakland, there was always something . . . this guy was going to be fired because he wasn't Al's (Davis) guy, or this guy wasn't going to be fired because he was Al's guy. It was always something.”

Human speed bump

The last time Nate Kaeding played a position of contact in football was when he was a linebacker and tailback on his junior high's B team.

“You had to weigh 100 pounds for the A team and I wasn't there,” said Kaeding, which partially explains why he turned to placekicking.

But Kaeding the placekicker still has the instincts of a football player, so when he sees a return man coming his way he naturally wants to get into the action.

Last year that enthusiasm resulted in an injury to his nonkicking leg.

Monday night against the Jets, whose kickoff returners (Leon Washington and Jerricho Cotchery) sprinted through the Chargers' coverage with near impunity, Kaeding joined in the chase and once rode a returner out of bounds at midfield.

When told he looked like an enthusiastic participant in the coverage team, Kaeding said, “Necessity would be a better word.”

“I'm not expected to make a tackle on the coverage team,” Kaeding said. “If I see a returner coming, my goal is to disrupt them somehow . . . slow them down, maybe make them change direction so someone else can run them down. I'm security.